Sound producing device



Sept. 22, 1959 w. HANF 2,904,931

soUND PRoDUcING DEVICE Filed Aug. `7, v195s fnl/@iran Wilhem Hanfzwart-,9311: SOUND. rRoDucnsG DEVICE.;

Wilhelm Hanf,,Viernheim,.near Mannheim, Germany,` assignor to Rheinischey Gummi und: (elluloidz-Fabrik,` Mannheim-Necharamermany Application August7, 1956, SierialiNo". 602540l 6- Claims. (Cl..46.-18.4).l

The present invention; relates' to a sound-producing device for a doll or thelike, andmore particularly to a voice device, or mama-voice" as thisv type-of unit isgenerally called in the trade.

Voice devices according to the prior. art are not` suit-A able for use in dolls or other toys which are to Beimrnersed in water because entry of water into the4 device interferes with the proper functioninggthereof.`

It is an object of the present' invention to provide a waterproofed voice device.

lt is a further` object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive device for rendering voice devices waterproof so that they may be used in toys which are` to be. immersed in or otherwise brought into contactwithwater or other fluids. i

Another object of thepresent invention. is to` provide a waterproofing structure which is` easily and cheaply applied to well-known types of. voice. devices.'

Yet another object of the present invention isto provide a` waterproof voice device whichisfof sturdy plastic material and which can be assembled in. a simple. yet effective manner.

it is another object of the present` invention to provide a waterproof voice unit` for. dolls which` canbe. used. in courses which are designed to instructy inthe methods of bathing and handling infants.. p

Yet another object of. thepresent invention, is to provide a voice device which is protected. from entry there.- into i of water, dust and other materials.A whereby impairmentof the t'unctlonmgv ofthevoice. device ist avoided.`

With` the above` objects*` inviews. the.. present: invention mainly consists in a waterproof. devicefor. a. voice box comprising a membrane of vibratablexwaterproof. material mounted on` the` box and meansfastening `the membrane tothe `voice box. in suchtattmanner thatf functioning ofthe voice box is not impairedwhile attthetsame `time entry of water into the voice` bonds` prevented;

The novel featureswhich` are; consideredas characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular inthe appended claims. The invention itself, however,both. as toits construction and its method of operation, together with additional` objects and advantages.` thereof, will be best understood from the following description? of specific embodiments when read in connection` with.V the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig; l is a sectional view.` illustrating; one` embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional viewillustrating another embodiment of the invention; r

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlargedsectional` encircled portion of Fig. l; and

i Fig. 4` is a fragmentary enlarged'sectionalviewof the encircled portion of Fig. 2. i

i Referring now to the drawings, Fig. la andk Fig.` 3 show the invention illustrated with one of thefvarious `voice devices available on the market; 'The` sound; device, illustrated schematically-in the. drawing, isra well-known mama-voice which comprises a cylindrical container view of the nited States Patent O Mice 10 having an opening 11'. Perforated closure plate. member e extends in opening` 11 of thecontainer. Slidably arranged. within the container is the weight` 12 to.which the` bellows 14. formed from collapsible huid-tight material, for instance, impregnated fabric, is connected. Cen-k trally mounted ontheplate-` member e is a valve memberA i6 which cooperates with a central bore in theweighty member12 and a1 vibratingreed (not shown inthedraw.- ing) in well-known manner, to produce a cryingsound` during the` downward movement of the weight from its top-position in which the upper surface of the weighttcon.-` tacts the bottom surface of the` plate member e; toathc. position shown in the drawing.

The sound` waves` produced by the voice describedzwill pass through the apertures of the` plate member e` and? set the membrane d..in vibration so that the` sound pro-A duced by the voice inside the container lllwill be trans-- mitted through the vibrations of the membrane d toftheV outside thereof.

Although the` present embodiment is. described` with reference to the type of voice boxiillustrated herein, it isunderstoodA that other types of voice or any other sound-` producing mechanism might beused as well.

As show-n in Fig. 3, a plastic` waterproof' vibratable.:

membrane.. d is tautly` fitted and fixed over the opening ofy the. container spaced fromthe closure plate member,

e, by means of clamping members a and b. The edge portions of the membrane` are held between the clampingr members a. andl b and` mounted onthe container upper portion c. The clamping members are preferably annu.- lar rings of plastic. material. Adhesive material ispreferablyy used to cement theringb tothe container. The: ringsmaybe fixed tothe membrane, also, by an adhesive substance.`

Further, the rings may be of the type-which seal the container by tightly fitting on to the container portion c; with the edge-portions of the membrane clamped tightly between` the.. members so as to.` provide a fluid-tight` scarl without using adhesive material;

Inti Figs. 2 andfll` there isshownanother embodiment: of the` invention in which `the containery 20 is preferably' made of;V injection-molded plastic materialand may` have inner` shoulder means :22 ont uppen portion; c1 ont which the closure plate member e can becseated-` andxedA The clamping or` fastening means shown` inFig; 4 has only one ring al which isclamped on tothecontainer over the edges t of the membrane andA which` interfits. with outer shoulder means 24 of the'containerl. The inner portion of the container aboveshoulder `Z2 serves to space the membrane` d fromthe closure plate member ei As with the embodiment of` Figs. 1` and 3, the embodiment according to Figs. 2 and 4 may have the fluid-:tight seal formed with the` aid of an adhesive substance or cement which can be placed between ring al and container portion c1 be placed between the container and the membrane` and between the membrane and the adjacent portion of ring a1 to provide 'a secure fluid-tight arrangement to protect the sound producing mechanism in the container.

Either or both clamping members may be of plastic a doll and the plate member e so that functioning off the` voice box is not impaired while at the same time thev mechanism is protected from water damage.

The container is shown herein as being of cylindrical shape and having an open end. The clamping or fastenat shoulder 24. Sealing material may also ing means are shown as annular. However, variations of shape are well within the scope of the invention.

A container of any other shape having an opening may be provided with sound-producing means other than those described and illustrated herein. The Waterproong membrane covering the open end may be spaced in the manner described and illustrated herein or by means of additional spacing members. The clamping means may be Iannular members as set forth herein or there may be provided some other type of fastening means to hold the membrane mounted on the container in such a manner as to avoid impairment of the functioning of the soundproducing means.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of sound-producing device differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a waterproof voice device for a doll, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications an-d structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by `applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A water-proof doll voice comprising, in combination, a voice box having an open end; a sound producing device located in said voice box; a closure plate extending transversely across the interior of said voice box in the region of the open end thereof and being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough permitting passage of sound waves emanating from said sound producing device through said closure plate; a water-proof membrane extending substantially parallel to said closure plate over the same; and annular clamping means at said open end of said voice box fluid-tightly and non-shiftably clamping said membrane on said Voice box in a position spaced from said closure plate at a suflicient distance so that said membrane may swing freely without engaging said closure plate whenever sound waves emit through said apertures, whereby said membrance will prevent entrance of water into said voice box while transmitting the sound waves emanating therefrom.

2. A water-proof doll voice comprising, in combination, a voice box having Ian open'end; a sound producing device located in said voice box; a closure plate extending transversely across the interior of said voice box in the region of the open end 'thereof and being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough permitting passage of sound waves emanating from said sound producing device through said closure plate; a water-proof membrane extending substantially parallel to said closure plate over the same; and annular clamping means at said open end of said voice box fluid-tightly and non-shiftably clamping said membrane on said voice box in a position spaced from said closure plate at a sufficient distance so that said membrane may swing freely without engaging said closure plate whenever sound waves emit through `said apertures, said 'annular clamping means having a free rim portion extending in axial direction of said voice box beyond said membrane, whereby said membrane will prevent entrance of water into said voice box While transmitting the sound waves emanating therefrom.

3. A water-proof doll voice comprising, in combination, Ia voice box having an open end; a sound producing r4 device located in said voice box; a closure plate extending transversely across the interior of said voice box in the region of the open end'thereof and being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough permitting passage of sound waves emanating from said sound producing device through said closure plates; a water-proof membrane extending substantially parallel to said closure plate over the same; and annular clamping means at said open end of said voice box Huid-tightly and non-shiftably clamping said membrane on said voice box in a position spaced from said closure plate at a suicient distance so that said membrane may swing `freely without engaging said closure plate Whenever sound waves emit through said apertures, said annular clamping means including an inner annular member of water-proof material fluid-tightly engaging the outer periphery of said voice box and having a free rim portion extending beyond the open end of said voice box, and an outer annular member of waterproof material located about said inner annular member so as to form a narrow annular gap between said two members in which the periphery of said membrance is Huid-tightly clamped and said outer annular member having a free rim portionv extending in axial direction beyond the free rim portion of said inner annular member, whereby said membrane will prevent entrance of water into said voice box while transmitting the sound waves emanating therefrom.

4. A water-proof doll voice comprising, in combination, a voice box having an open end dened by an annular end face; a sound producing device located in said voice box; a closure plate extending transversely across the interior of said voice box adjacent the open end thereof inwardly spaced from said annular end face and being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough permitting passage of sound waves emanating from said sound producing device through said closure plate; a water-proof membrane extending substantially parallel to said closure plate over the same; and annular clamping means at said open end of said voice box fluid-tightly and non-shiftably clamping said membrane on said voice box in a position spaced from said closure plate at a sufcient distance so that said membrane may swing freely without engaging said closure plate whenever sound waves emit through said apertures, whereby said membrane will prevent entrance of water into said voice box while transmitting the sound waves emanating therefrom.

5. A water-proof doll voiceA comprising, in combination, a voice box having an open end dened by an annular end face; a sound producing device located in said voice box; a closure plate extending transversely across the interior of said voice box adjacent the open end thereof inwardly spaced from said annular end face and being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough permitting passage of sound waves emanating from said sound producing device through said closure plate; a water-proof membrane extending substantially parallel to said closure plate over the same; and annular clamping means at said open end of said voice box fluid-tightly and non-shiftably clamping said membrane on said voice box in a position spaced from said closure plate at a sufficient distance so that said membrane may swing freely without engaging said closure plate whenever sound waves emit through said apertures, said annular yclamping means including an annular member located about the outer periphery of said voice box adjacent said open end thereof and uid-tightly clamping said membrane against the outer periphery of said voice box, said annular member having a free rim portion extending beyond said membrane, whereby said membrane will prevent entrance of Water into said voice box while transmitting the sound waves emanating therefrom.

6. A water-proof doll voice comprising, in combination, a voice box having a closed and an open end; a sound producing device mounted in said voice box for sliding movement from said closed toward said open end 6 and back; stop means on said voice box for limiting the References Cited in the tile of this patent sliding movement of said sound producing device toward UNITED STATES PATENTS said open end in a predetermined position Within said voice box and spaced from said open end thereof; and onoff IOV- a waterroof membrane extendin over said o en end @Safe PI- P g P 5 1,675,358 Koma July s, 1928 

